System and method for providing dynamic and static contest prize allocation based on in-game achievement of a user

ABSTRACT

One aspect of the disclosure relates to providing dynamic and static contest prize allocation based on in-game achievement of a user in an online game in order to encourage players to continue to purchase items to improve their tournament metrics even if they may be unable to improve their tournament rank. For example, calculation of a dynamic prize may comprise for rank x, the player may gain 1 prize unit for every y Glory gained (when Glory may be the measured by the tournament). The y value may increase for lower ranks achieved in the tournament.

FIELD

The disclosure relates to providing dynamic and static contest prizeallocation based on in-game achievement of a user in an online game.

BACKGROUND

In traditional in-game tournaments, prize determined solely on playerranking in the tournament is known. Tournaments may be used to encourageplayers to purchase virtual items in pursuit of amassing an in-gamemetric that determines tournament ranking. Traditionally, tournamentprizes for each rank are static, thus a player may win the same prize ifthey are the top ranked player and cannot improve their prize with astronger performance in the metric that the tournament measures.

SUMMARY

One aspect of the disclosure relates to providing dynamic and staticcontest prize allocation based on in-game achievement of a user in anonline game in order to encourage players to continue to purchase itemsto improve their tournament metrics even if they may be unable toimprove their tournament rank. For example, calculation of a dynamicprize may comprise for rank x, the player may gain 1 prize unit forevery y Glory gained (when Glory may be the measured by the tournament).The y value may increase for lower ranks achieved in the tournament.

A system configured to facilitate providing an interface-based virtualspace tournament generation in an online game may include one or moreprocessors configured to execute compute program modules. The programmodules may comprise a space module, an objective criteria module, auser ranking module, an award determination module, an awarddistribution module and/or any other modules.

The space module may be configured to execute an instance of a virtualspace. The instance of the virtual space may be implemented tofacilitate participation by the users in an online game. The spacemodule may be configured to facilitate interaction of users with thevirtual space and/or each other by performing operations in the virtualspace in response to commands and/or any other input received from theusers.

An objective criteria module may be configured to obtain event criteriafor a limited time event and/or other event. The event criteria mayfacilitate ranking of users of the game by achievement during the event.The objective criteria module may be configured such that the eventcriteria may include one or more of: a resource unit amassed, troop unitamassed, wealth, score, and/or other parameters.

A user ranking module may be configured to rank users according to theirachievement in the game in terms of the event criteria during the event.

An award determination module may be configured to determine awards tobe distributed to the users. The awards may include a first award to bedistributed to a first user. The first award may have a primarycomponent, a secondary component, and/or other components. The secondarycomponent of the first award may be determined based on absoluteprogress of the first user with respect to the event criteria during theevent time period and/or any other time period. The primary component ofthe first award may be determined based on the relative ranking of thefirst user with respect to the other users as determined by the userranking module and/or any other module.

The award determination module may be configured such that the primarycomponent includes virtual items for use in the game. The virtual itemsmay include a virtual good, a virtual currency, and/or other virtualitems. The award determination module may be configured such that thesecondary component includes troops and/or any other characters for usein the game. The award determination module may be configured such thatthe secondary component may be provided when the first user achievesabove a minimum level and/or any other level of absolute progress. Theaward determination module may be configured such that the secondarycomponent varies based on user results above a minimum level and/or anyother level of absolute progress. An award distribution module may beconfigured to distribute the awards to appropriate users.

A rank presentation module may be configured to effectuate presentationto the first user of a motivation message and/or any other message. Themotivation message may comprise an indication of the present first userrank according to their achievement and/or any other user metric in thegame. The rank presentation module may be further configured toeffectuate presentation to the first user of one or more incentives forachieving a relatively high rank in the hierarchy of ranking of users.The rank presentation module may be configured to effectuatepresentation to the first user of one or more incentives for achievingan objective with respect to the event criteria defined by anadministrator and/or system.

These and other features, and characteristics of the present technology,as well as the methods of operation and functions of the relatedelements of structure and the combination of parts and economies ofmanufacture, will become more apparent upon consideration of thefollowing description and the appended claims with reference to theaccompanying drawings, all of which form a part of this specification,wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts in thevarious figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that thedrawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only andare not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. As usedin the specification and in the claims, the singular form of “a”, “an”,and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictatesotherwise.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary system configured to provide dynamic andstatic contest prize allocation based on in-game achievement of a userin an online game, according to an aspect of the invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary method of providing dynamic and staticcontest prize allocation based on in-game achievement of a user in anonline game, according to an aspect of the invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary diagram providing dynamic and staticcontest prize allocation based on in-game achievement of a user in anonline game, according to an aspect of the invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary diagram providing dynamic and staticcontest prize allocation based on in-game achievement of a user in anonline game, according to an aspect of the invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary diagram providing dynamic and staticcontest prize allocation based on in-game achievement of a user in anonline game, according to an aspect of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a system 10 configured to provide a customized userexperience based on a spend frequency of a user in an online game. Insome implementations, system 10 may include a game server(s) 12. Thegame server(s) 12 may host a game space in which an online game takesplace. The game server(s) 12 may be configured to communicate with oneor more client computing platform(s) 14 according to a client/serverarchitecture. The users may access system 10 and/or the virtual spacevia client computing platform(s) 14.

The game server(s) 12 may be configured to execute one or more computerprogram modules. The computer program modules may include one or more ofa user module 18, a space module 20, a network module 26, an objectivecriteria module 28, a user ranking module 30, an award determinationmodule 32, an award distribution module 34, a motivation module 36and/or any other modules.

The user module 18 may be configured to access and/or manage one or moreuser profiles and/or user information associated with users of thesystem 10. The one or more user profiles and/or user information mayinclude information stored by game server(s) 12, one or more of theclient computing platform(s) 14, and/or other storage locations. Theuser profiles may include, for example, information identifying users(e.g., a username or handle, a number, an identifier, and/or otheridentifying information) within the virtual space, security logininformation (e.g., a login code or password), virtual space accountinformation, subscription information, virtual currency accountinformation (e.g., related to currency held in credit for a user),relationship information (e.g., information related to relationshipsbetween users in the virtual space), virtual space usage information,demographic information associated with users, interaction history amongusers in the virtual space, information stated by users, purchaseinformation of users, browsing history of users, a client computingplatform identification associated with a user, a phone numberassociated with a user, and/or other information related to users. Theuser module 18 may be configured to store inventories of virtual itemsincluding resources that are available to users in the virtual space.Various matters may be collected in an inventory. These matters mayinclude, but are not limited to, virtual items, virtual resources,character attributes, character skills, and/or virtual currency. Avirtual item may be an item that can be used in a virtual world toassist a player's character. Examples of virtual items include, but arenot limited to, valuables (money, valuable metals or gems, etc.),weapons, spell components, defense components, and/or armor. A virtualresource may be a resource that can be used in the virtual world tocreate game attributes. Examples of virtual resources include wood,stone, herbs, water, ores, animals, monsters, bosses, non-playercharacters (NPCs), building materials, potions, etc. A characterattribute may be any quality, trait, feature and/or characteristic aparticular character can have. Character attributes may include, but arenot be limited to: a character score, a virtual object, the physicalappearance of a character, an emblem or mark, a synthetic voice, virtualcurrency, virtual help points or credits, the ability to join groups ofother players at a later time, a score for subsequent matching of latergame parameters, a relationship with another character, a geneticprofile or makeup, a skill or skill level, and/or a ranking. Characterskills may be game attributes inherent in or acquired by a playercharacter during game play such as, but not limited to: the ability tocast (certain) spells, foretell the future, read minds, use (certain)weapons, cook, hunt, find herbs, assemble herbs into potions, mine,assemble objects into other objects, fly, and/or enchant other playercharacters.

The user may maintain an inventory for the user's character in whichvirtual awards may be collected. The inventory may be accessed throughan interface. As the character progresses through the game it mayreceive access to higher-level gear. Higher-level gear may be morepowerful and/or effective within the game. This may include havingparameters (e.g., hit points, attack strength, defense points, speed,and/or other parameters) that enhance the functionality of the gear inthe game. The player may be able to review items within the player'sinventory and equip the character with an item appropriate to thecurrent game situation. Items may be dragged from the inventory to apreview window. As items are selected, they may appear either on or nextto the character. For example, if the character is currently not wearingany armor and/or accessories, armor and accessories such as a cape maybe added by accessing the character's inventory. Management of acharacter's inventory is a common game mechanic, and may lead to manyhours of game play. Players may collect, trade, buy, fight over items,and/or perform other actions to add to their inventory. Games indifferent genres, such as science fiction, may incorporate itemsspecific to that genre. For example, laser guns may be substituted inplace of swords as the standard weapon used by characters within ascience fiction-type game. The data describing clothing and otherequipment or gear may be stored in the character record.

Players within the game may acquire virtual currency. In such games, thevirtual currency might be represented by virtual coins, virtual cash, orby a number or value stored by the server for that player's benefit.Such virtual currency represents units of value for use in the onlinegame system, and is analogous to legal currency. Virtual currency can bepurchased in one or more actual cash or credit transactions by a player,where the legal currency is transferred using a credit/debit/charge cardtransaction conveyed over a financial network. A player may earn virtualcurrency by taking action in the game. For example, a player may berewarded with one or more units of virtual currency after completing atask, quest, challenge, or mission within the game. For example, afarming game might reward 10 gold coins each time a virtual crop isharvested.

Virtual currency may be used to purchase one or more in-game assets orother benefits. For example, a player may be able to exchange virtualcurrency for a desired level, access, right, or item in an online game.In some implementations, legal currency can be used to directly purchasean in-game asset or other benefit. The player can select the desiredin-game asset or other benefit. Once the necessary selections are made,the player can place the order to purchase the in-game asset or otherbenefit. This order is received by the game system, which can thenprocess the order. If the order is processed successfully, anappropriate financial account associated with the player can be debitedby the amount of virtual currency or legal currency needed to buy theselected in-game asset or other benefit.

Multiple types of virtual currency may be available for purchase fromthe game system operator. For example, an online game may have virtualgold coins and virtual cash. The different types of virtual currency mayhave different exchange rates with respect to legal currency and eachother. For example, a player may be able to exchange $1 in legalcurrency for either 100 virtual gold coins or $2 in virtual cash, butvirtual gold coins may not be exchanged for virtual cash. Similarly,where in-game assets and other benefits can be purchased with virtualcurrency, they may have different exchange rates with respect to thedifferent types of virtual currency. For example, a player may be ableto buy a virtual business object for $10 in virtual cash, but may notpurchase the virtual business object for virtual gold coins alone. Insome embodiments, certain types of virtual currency can be acquired byengaging in various in-game actions while other types of virtualcurrency can only be acquired by exchanging legal currency. For example,a player may be able to acquire virtual gold coins by selling virtualgoods in a business, but can only acquire virtual cash by exchanginglegal currency. Virtual cash may also be awarded for leveling up in thegame.

The space module 20 may be configured to implement the instance of thevirtual space executed by the computer modules to determine state of thevirtual space. The state may then be communicated (e.g., via streamingvisual data, via object/position data, and/or other state information)from server(s) 12 to client computing platform(s) 14 for presentation tousers. The state determined and transmitted to a given client computingplatform 14 may correspond to a view for a user character beingcontrolled by a user via the given client computing platform 14. Thestate determined and transmitted to a given client computing platform 14may correspond to a location in the virtual space. The view described bythe state for the given client computing platform may correspond, forexample, to the location from which the view is taken, the location theview depicts, and/or other locations, a zoom ratio, a dimensionality ofobjects, a point-of-view, and/or view parameters of the view. One ormore of the view parameters may be selectable by the user.

The instance of the virtual space may comprise a simulated space that isaccessible by users via clients (e.g., client computing platform(s) 14)that present the views of the virtual space to a user. The simulatedspace may have a topography, express ongoing real-time interaction byone or more users, and/or include one or more objects positioned withinthe topography that are capable of locomotion within the topography. Insome instances, the topography may be a 2-dimensional topography. Inother instances, the topography may be a 3-dimensional topography. Thetopography may include dimensions of the space, and/or surface featuresof a surface or objects that are “native” to the space. In someinstances, the topography may describe a surface (e.g., a groundsurface) that runs through at least a substantial portion of the space.In some instances, the topography may describe a volume with one or morebodies positioned therein (e.g., a simulation of gravity-deprived spacewith one or more celestial bodies positioned therein). The instanceexecuted by the computer modules may be synchronous, asynchronous,and/or semi-synchronous.

The above description of the manner in which state of the virtual spaceis determined by space module 20 is not intended to be limiting. Thespace module 20 may be configured to express the virtual space in a morelimited, or more rich, manner. For example, views determined for thevirtual space representing the state of the instance of the virtualspace may be selected from a limited set of graphics depicting an eventin a given place within the virtual space. The views may includeadditional content (e.g., text, audio, pre-stored video content, and/orother content) that describes particulars of the current state of theplace, beyond the relatively generic graphics. For example, a view mayinclude a generic battle graphic with a textual description of theopponents to be confronted. Other expressions of individual placeswithin the virtual space are contemplated.

Within the instance(s) of the virtual space executed by space module 20,users may control characters, objects, simulated physical phenomena(e.g., wind, rain, earthquakes, and/or other phenomena), and/or otherelements within the virtual space to interact with the virtual spaceand/or each other. The user characters may include avatars. As usedherein, the term “user character” may refer to an object (or group ofobjects) present in the virtual space that represents an individualuser. The user character may be controlled by the user with which it isassociated. The user controlled element(s) may move through and interactwith the virtual space (e.g., non-user characters in the virtual space,other objects in the virtual space). The user controlled elementscontrolled by and/or associated with a given user may be created and/orcustomized by the given user. The user may have an “inventory” ofvirtual goods and/or currency that the user can use (e.g., bymanipulation of a user character or other user controlled element,and/or other items) within the virtual space.

The users may participate in the instance of the virtual space bycontrolling one or more of the available user controlled elements in thevirtual space. Control may be exercised through control inputs and/orcommands input by the users through client computing platform(s) 14. Theusers may interact with each other through communications exchangedwithin the virtual space. Such communications may include one or more oftextual chat, instant messages, private messages, voice communications,and/or other communications. Communications may be received and enteredby the users via their respective client computing platform(s) 14.Communications may be routed to and from the appropriate users throughserver(s) 12 (e.g., through space module 20).

The space module 20 may be configured to execute an instance of avirtual space. The instance of the virtual space may be implemented tofacilitate participation by the users in an online game. The spacemodule 20 may be configured to facilitate interaction of users with thevirtual space and/or each other by performing operations in the virtualspace in response to commands and/or any other input received from theusers.

Network module 26 of the game server(s) 12 may be configured to maintaina connection to the one or more client computing platform(s) 14. Forexample, the network module 26 may maintain one or more communicationlines or ports to enable connection and/or exchange of information witha network 40 and/or other computing platforms 14. Information such asstate information, game state and game logic may be communicated vianetwork module 26. The network module may be configured to receiveinformation from the client computing platform 14 as well.

An objective criteria module 28 may be configured to obtain eventcriteria for a limited time event and/or other event. The event criteriamay facilitate ranking of users of the game by achievement during theevent. The objective criteria module 28 may be configured such that theevent criteria may include one or more of: a resource unit amassed,troop unit amassed, wealth, score, and/or other parameters.

The objective criteria module 28 may be configured to determine eventcriteria for the users indicating the users' progress toward achievingthe objective. The users' progress toward achieving the objective may bebased upon the one or more event criteria for the user. Differentactivities, required to be completed to achieve the event criteria, mayhave different associated complexities and/or time requirements,providing activities having irregularly weighted contributions towardachieving the objectives.

A user ranking module 30 may be configured to rank users according totheir achievement in the game in terms of the event criteria during theevent. The user ranking module 30 may be configured to determine ahierarchy for the users. The user with the greatest progress towardachieving the objective may appear higher in the hierarchy than a userwith less progress toward achieving the objective. The user rankingmodule 30 may be configured to determine the objective metric values forany number of users, and determine a hierarchy for the any number ofusers.

The user ranking module 30 may be configured to determine the eventcriteria for users, where the users may be required to perform differentactivities in order to achieve an objective. For example, a first usermay be required to complete a first activity and a second activity toachieve an objective, as defined by an administrator. A second user maybe required to complete a third activity to achieve the objective.Differences in requirements for the users to achieve the objective maybe based on one or more user parameters indicating differences in theusers.

The user ranking module 30 may be configured to display leaderboardsassociated with different elements within the game. For example, thegame may have one or more administrator defined objectives. Individualones of the one or more objectives may have associated activities whichare required to be completed to achieve the objective. There may beprovided a leaderboard for each objective and/or each associatedactivity displaying the hierarchy of each user with respect to otherusers in accomplishing the objective and/or completing the activities.Providing leaderboards for each objective and/or activity incentivizesusers to keep working toward the particular objective, improving playerretention. By providing leaderboards for sub-elements of the game,instead of only providing a single high-score leaderboard, createsincreased opportunity for a user to feature on a leaderboard early inthe game, increasing the incentive to the user to play, and improvinguser retention and monetization.

The leaderboards may feature a subset of users from the pool of allusers playing the game or working toward achieving the objective. Thesubset of users may be affiliated or associated with the user to whichthe leaderboard is presented. The subset of users may be selected basedon an indication of one or more user parameters. Such user parametersmay include an indication that users commonly interact within the gamespace, electronic social media associations, geographical location ofthe users, groups, guilds or alliances that the user belongs to, anindication of the user's real-world affiliations, and/or other userparameters indicating the user has a connection or a similarity with oneor more other users.

Providing leaderboards featuring a subset of users having a commonattribute and/or affiliation, increases competitiveness in the users,providing an incentive to continue playing, improving user retention andmonetization.

An award determination module 32 may be configured to determine awardsto be distributed to the users. The awards may include a first award tobe distributed to a first user. The first award may have a primarycomponent, a secondary component, and/or other components. The primarycomponent of the first award may be determined based on the relativeranking of the first user with respect to the other users as determinedby the user ranking module and/or any other module.

The award determination module 32 may be configured such that theprimary component includes virtual items for use in the game. Thevirtual items may include a virtual good, a virtual currency, and/orother virtual items.

The award determination module 32 may be configured such that thesecondary component includes troops and/or any other characters for usein the game. The secondary component of the first award may bedetermined based on absolute progress of the first user with respect tothe event criteria during the event time period and/or any other timeperiod. The award determination module 32 may be configured such thatthe secondary component may be provided when the first user achievesabove a minimum level and/or any other level of absolute progress. Theaward determination module 32 may be configured such that the secondarycomponent varies based on user results above a minimum level and/or anyother level of absolute progress.

A secondary component of the first award may comprise a dynamic prize.For example, a way to calculate the dynamic prizes is based on theabsolute progress of the user. For Rank x player will gain 1 prize unitfor every y Glory gained (when Glory is the statistic measured by thetournament). The y value increases for lower ranks achieved in thetournament. A tournament leaderboard may display static and dynamicprizes. In some implementations, a tournament leaderboard that showsplayers' static prizes (remains constant for each rank) as well as theirdynamic prize which increases as players improve their statisticalperformance in the tournament may be displayed. Dynamic and staticprizes may be granted to qualifying players at the end of thetournament.

The award determination module 32 may select a statistic that willmeasure player achievement in a tournament. For each rank, the awarddetermination module 32 may select a dynamic prize and a ratio of whatstatistical achievement a player may need to earn multiples of thedynamic prizes. The award determination module may calculate the currentdynamic prize value for qualifying players based on their currentstatistical achievement to show the value of individual statisticalachievement as well as rank achievement compared to other players.

These awards may be calculated for use in any in-game tournament thatmeasures achievement based on a statistic that can be accumulatedcomprising one or more: tournaments of might, glory, and/or resourceaccumulation.

The dynamic prize may be anything that can be provided in multiples:troops, resources, virtual currency, and/or items. New players may beawarded a bonus number of troops based on a percentage of the number oftroops they train in the first X number of days. Players may be providedwith static prizes alone based on how they performed compared to otherplayers. Events may provide players with tiered prizes based onstatistical achievement rather than achievement compared to otherplayers.

An award distribution module 34 may be configured to distribute theawards to appropriate users. Award distribution module 34 may beconfigured to facilitate distribution of the awards to individual onesof the participating users in accordance with the performance scores ofthe individual participating users. For example, in one use case, theactivity may be collecting a specific type of resource (e.g., diamond,gold, silver, platinum, iron, wheat, etc.) and the performance criteriamay include having the most amounts of the specific type of resourcecollected during the contest period. As such, participating users thathave collected more of the specific type of the resource than otherparticipating users during the contest period may be assigned higherperformance score than those other participating users. Thus, awards maybe automatically distributed to a certain number of the participatingusers that collect the most amounts of the specific type of resourceduring the contest period (e.g., at the end of the contest period, atone or more intervals during the contest period, etc.). The awards mayinclude virtual items, virtual currency, buildings, resources, access toother contests, access to regions in the game space, access toactivities in the game space, respect, multipliers (e.g., 10× respect),level increase, and/or other awards as described above.

In exemplary implementations, one or more performance criteria to beassociated with a contest to be provided in a game space, one or moreawards to be distributed in association with the contest, one or morequalifications to participate in the contest, and/or othercontest-related user inputs may be received via a user interface. Basedon these user inputs, a notification that relates to the contest may beprovided in the game space. Contest-related activities that areperformed in the game space by the users participating in the contestmay be monitored. Performance scores of the participating users may bedetermined based on the performance criteria and the performedactivities. The awards may be automatically distributed to individualones of the participating users in accordance with the performancescores of the individual participating users. In this way,interface-based game-space contest generation may decrease human-relatederrors (e.g., by providing more accurate performance scoring ofperformed contest-related activities, awarding the right participatingusers, etc.), reduce award distribution delays (e.g., by determining theaward winners more quickly, distributing the awards upon suchdetermination, etc.), improve user experience relating to such contests,lower the number of support calls, and/or provide other benefits.

In various implementations, award distribution module 34 may beconfigured such that at least one of the awards is distributed to atleast one of the participating users in response to the performancescores of the at least one participating user satisfying one or moreperformance thresholds. By way of example, a particular contest in thegame space may provide awards to participating users that satisfy acertain performance threshold. In one use case, the particular contestmay be configured such that a participating user may be provided with anaward associated with the contest if the participating user harvests aspecific predetermined amount of resources during the contest period(e.g., harvesting 5000 units of wood, harvesting 2000 units of wheat,etc.). The participating user may, for instance, be provided with theaward during or after the contest period in response to determining thatthe participating user satisfied the specific resource harvestingthreshold during the contest period.

In another use case, the participating user may be provided withmultiple awards for satisfying multiple performance thresholds. Forexample, the participating user ay be provided with one award after theparticipating user harvests a first amount of resources (e.g., 5000units of wood) during the contest period, and a different award afterthe participating user harvests a second amount of resources (e.g.,12,000 units of wood). In this way, users may be provided with aplurality of incentives to sign up, participate, and/or continue toparticipate in the game-space contest. The awards may, for instance, beautomatically distributed to the participating user in real-time as soonas the participating user completes each set of activities to satisfythe performance thresholds. As such, wait time associated withdistribution of the awards may be eliminated or otherwise reduced.

In certain implementations, award distribution module 34 may beconfigured such that the awards are distributed based on one or morepredetermined intervals of the contest. By way of example, a particularcontest may last for a period of one week, each day of the contest mayrepresent one time interval of the contest, and award distributionmodule 34 may be configured to distribute the awards at the end of eachday to individual participating users that are determined to havesatisfied one or more performance thresholds.

In some implementations, award distribution module 34 may be configuredsuch that a first award of the awards is distributed during a firstpredetermined interval of the predetermined intervals to a firstparticipating user of the participating users in response to theperformance scores of the first participating user satisfying a firstperformance threshold during the first predetermined interval, and suchthat a second award of the awards is distributed during a secondpredetermined interval of the predetermined intervals to the firstparticipating user in response to the performance scores of the firstparticipating user satisfying a second performance threshold during thesecond predetermined interval.

In one scenario, a particular contest in the game space may last for aperiod of one week, and each day of the contest may represent one timeinterval of the contest. The contest may provide awards to participatingusers for each day that the participating users perform activities thatsatisfy a performance threshold. For example, a participating user maybe provided with 1000 units of wood when the participating user logsinto the game space on the first day of the contest (e.g., logging intothe game space may be a predefined activity for satisfying a performancethreshold). The participating user may be provided with 1500 units ofiron when the participating user logs into the game space on the secondday of the contest. The participating user may be provided with 2000units of wheat when the participating user logs into the game space onthe third day of the contest, and so on. In this way, among otherbenefits, contests may enable participating users to develop habitsbased on the predefined activities (e.g., logging in on a regularbasis), encourage a steady stream of activities by participating users,etc.

A rank presentation module 36 may be configured to effectuatepresentation to the first user of a motivation message and/or any othermessage. The motivation message may comprise an indication of thepresent first user rank according to their achievement and/or any otheruser metric in the game. The rank presentation module 36 may be furtherconfigured to effectuate presentation to the first user of one or moreincentives for achieving a relatively high rank in the hierarchy ofranking of users. The rank presentation module 36 may be configured toeffectuate presentation to the first user of one or more incentives forachieving an objective with respect to the event criteria defined by anadministrator and/or system.

The rank presentation module 36 may be configured to effectuatepresentation to the first user of a motivational message, wherein themotivational message comprises an indication of the hierarchy of theobjective metric value for the first user. The motivational message mayprovide an indication that the user is near to achieving the objective,has a relatively high objective metric value compared to other users,and/or provide some other indication of the user's progress towardachieving the objective. The rank presentation module 36 may be furtherconfigured to effectuate presentation to the first user of one or moreincentives for achieving a relatively high objective metric value in thehierarchy of objective metric values. The rank presentation module 36may be configured to effectuate presentation to the first user of one ormore incentives for achieving the objective defined by an administrator.

Incentives may be available to the users at various stages ofaccomplishing the objective. Incentives may be available for reachingthe top of the objective leaderboard, being an indication of which useris closest to achieving the objective. Similarly, incentives may beavailable for reaching the top of each of the activity leaderboards oraction leaderboards. Incentives may be available for achieving theobjective in the shortest period of time, for reaching the top of aleaderboard in the shortest period of time, for achieving the objectiveor completing an activity with the fewest actions, or for any othermeasurable stage in a user's progress toward achieving the objective.

Such incentives may include one or more of virtual items, other amountsof virtual currency, access to areas in the game space that werepreviously not accessible to the first user, quests in the game spacethat were previously not available to the first user and/or otherincentives to incentivize the first user to keep striving to achieve theobjective, complete the activity or perform the action.

The game server(s) 12, client computing platform(s) 14, and/or externalresource(s) 42 may be operatively linked via one or more electroniccommunication links. For example, such electronic communication linksmay be established, at least in part, via a network such as the Internetand/or other networks. It will be appreciated that this is not intendedto be limiting, and that the scope of this disclosure includesimplementations in which game server(s) 12, client computing platform(s)14, and/or external resource(s) 42 may be operatively linked via someother communication media.

Game server(s) 12 may include Electronic storage 34, one or moreprocessor(s) 16, and/or other components. Game server(s) 12 may includecommunication lines, or ports to enable the exchange of information witha network 46 and/or other computing platforms 14. Illustration of gameserver(s) 12 in FIG. 1 is not intended to be limiting. Game server(s) 12may include a plurality of hardware, software, and/or firmwarecomponents operating together to provide the functionality attributedherein to game server(s) 12. For example, game server(s) 12 may beimplemented by a cloud of computing platforms operating together as gameserver(s) 12.

Electronic storage 38 may comprise non-transitory storage media thatelectronically stores information. The electronic storage media ofElectronic storage 34 may include one or both of system storage that isprovided integrally (i.e., substantially non-removable) with gameserver(s) 12 and/or removable storage that is removably connectable togame server(s) 12 via, for example, a port (e.g., a USB port, a firewireport, etc.) or a drive (e.g., a disk drive, etc.). Electronic storage 34may include one or more of optically readable storage media (e.g.,optical disks, etc.), magnetically readable storage media (e.g.,magnetic tape, magnetic hard drive, floppy drive, etc.), electricalcharge-based storage media (e.g., EEPROM, RAM, etc.), solid-statestorage media (e.g., flash drive, etc.), and/or other electronicallyreadable storage media. Electronic storage 38 may include one or morevirtual storage resources (e.g., cloud storage, a virtual privatenetwork, and/or other virtual storage resources). Electronic storage 38may store software algorithms, information determined by processor(s)16, information received from game server(s) 12, information receivedfrom client computing platform(s) 14, and/or other information thatenables game server(s) 12 to function as described herein.

Processor(s) 16 is configured to provide information processingcapabilities in game servers) 12. As such, processor(s) 16 may includeone or more of a digital processor, an analog processor, a digitalcircuit designed to process information, an analog circuit designed toprocess information, a state machine, and/or other mechanisms forelectronically processing information. Although processor(s) 16 is shownin FIG. 1 as a single entity, this is for illustrative purposes only. Insome implementations, processor(s) 16 may include a plurality ofprocessing units. These processing units may be physically locatedwithin the same device, or processor(s) 16 may represent processingfunctionality of a plurality of devices operating in coordination. Theprocessor(s) 16 may be configured to execute modules 18, 20, 26, 28, 30,32, 34, and 36. Processor(s) 16 may be configured to execute modules 18,20, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, and 36 by software; hardware; firmware; somecombination of software, hardware, and/or firmware; and/or othermechanisms for configuring processing capabilities on processor(s) 16.As used herein, the term “module” may refer to any component or set ofcomponents that perform the functionality attributed to the module. Thismay include one or more physical processors during execution ofprocessor readable instructions, the processor readable instructions,circuitry, hardware, storage media, or any other components.

It should be appreciated that although modules 18, 20, 26, 28, 30, 32,34, and 36 are illustrated in FIG. 1 as being implemented within asingle processing unit, in implementations in which processor includesmultiple processing units, one or more of modules 18, 20, 26, 28, 30,32, 34, and 36 may be implemented remotely from the other modules. Thedescription of the functionality provided by the different modules 18,20, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, and 36 described below is for illustrativepurposes, and is not intended to be limiting, as any of modules 18, 20,26, 28, 30, 32, 34, and 36 may provide more or less functionality thanis described. For example, one or more of modules 18, 20, 26, 28, 30,32, 34, and 36 may be eliminated, and some or all of its functionalitymay be provided by other ones of modules 18, 20, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, and36. As another example, processor(s) 16 may be configured to execute oneor more additional modules that may perform some or all of thefunctionality attributed below to one of modules 18, 20, 26, 28, 30, 32,34, and 36.

A given client computing platform(s) 14 may include one or moreprocessors configured to execute computer program modules. The computerprogram modules may be configured to enable an expert or user associatedwith the given client computing platform 14 to interface with system 10,game server(s) 12, and/or external resource(s) 42, and/or provide otherfunctionality attributed herein to client computing platform(s) 14. Byway of non-limiting example, the given client computing platform(s) 14may include one or more of a desktop computer, a laptop computer, ahandheld computer, a tablet computing platform, a NetBook, a Smartphone,a gaming console, and/or other computing platforms.

External resource(s) 42 may include sources of information, hosts and/orproviders of virtual spaces outside of system 10, external entitiesparticipating with system 10, and/or other resources. In someimplementations, some or all of the functionality attributed herein toexternal resource(s) 42 may be provided by resources included in system10.

FIG. 2 illustrates a method 50 of providing dynamic and static contestprize allocation based on in-game achievement of a user in an onlinegame, according to an aspect of the invention. The operations of method50 presented below are intended to be illustrative. In some embodiments,method 50 may be accomplished with one or more additional operations notdescribed, and/or without one or more of the operations discussed.Additionally, the order in which the operations of method 50 areillustrated in FIG. 2 and described below is not intended to belimiting.

In some embodiments, method 50 may be implemented in one or moreprocessing devices (e.g., a digital processor, an analog processor, adigital circuit designed to process information, an analog circuitdesigned to process information, a state machine, and/or othermechanisms for electronically processing information). The one or moreprocessing devices may include one or more devices executing some or allof the operations of method 50 in response to instructions storedelectronically on an electronic storage medium. The one or moreprocessing devices may include one or more devices configured throughhardware, firmware, and/or software to be specifically designed forexecution of one or more of the operations of method 50.

At an operation 52, an instance of a virtual space may be executed. Insome implementations, operation 52 may be performed by a space modulethe same as or similar to space module 20 (shown in FIG. 1 and describedabove).

At an operation 54, the executed instance of the virtual space may beconfigured to obtain event criteria by achievement of users of the gameis to be ranked as part of a limited time event. In someimplementations, operation 54 may be performed by an objective criteriamodule 28 the same as or similar to objective criteria module 28 (shownin FIG. 1 and described above).

At an operation 56, users may be ranked according to their achievementin the game in terms of the event criteria during an event time periodover which the limited time event takes place. In some implementations,operation 56 may be performed by a user ranking module the same as orsimilar to user ranking module 30 (shown in FIG. 1 and described above).

At an operation 58, awards may be determined to be distributed to theusers, the awards including a first award to be distributed to a firstuser, the first award having a primary component and a secondarycomponent, the secondary component of the first award being determinedbased on absolute progress of the first user with respect to the eventcriteria during the event time period, and the primary component of thefirst award being determined based on the relative ranking of the firstuser with respect to the other users. Operation 58 may be performed byan award determination module the same as or similar to awarddetermination module 32 (shown in FIG. 1 and described above).

At an operation 60, the award may be distributed to appropriate users.In some implementations, operation 60 may be performed by an awarddistribution module the same as or similar to award distribution module34 (shown in FIG. 1 and described above).

FIG. 3 illustrates a leaderboard 70 provided to users based on in-gameevents, in accordance with one or more implementations. The leaderboard70 may comprise an objective title, providing the user an indication ofwhich objective the leaderboard 70 pertains. The objective may bedefined by an administrator, whereby the individual activities and/oractions required to be completed and/or performed by the user aredefined and/or determined. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 2, theobjective, associated with leaderboard 70, may be defined as a user, ora user's avatar or character, achieving a certain amount of might,glory, and/or troops.

The leaderboard 70 may include a user group 204. The user group maycomprise a group of users selected based upon a common characteristic orparameter. Common characteristics or parameters may include each playerworking toward achieving the same objective, being associated with oneanother in the game, such as in a guild or alliance, being associatedwith one another in electronic social media, having a common regionallocation in the virtual environment, or in the real-world, belonging toa common organization such as a college, business or interest group,and/or any other commonly held characteristic.

The users presented on the leaderboard may have an associated objectivemetric value 76, indicating each displayed user's progress towardachieving the objective. In the case illustrated in FIG. 3, theleaderboard 70 may comprise an indication of the amount of gloryobtained by each of the displayed users 74 in the user group. Theobjective metric value 76 and/or 78, may be based upon one or moreactivity metric values for the users, and/or action metric values forthe users. The leaderboard 70 may present the users 74 and/or group ofusers according to their relative hierarchy, or rank, 72. The group maybe a small subset of all users attempting to achieve the objective.Therefore the relative hierarchy, or rank 72 of even the highest userdisplayed on the leaderboard 70 may be relatively low compared to agroup comprising all users. The group of users may be selected basedupon an indication that the first user, to whom the leaderboard 70 ispresented, has a relatively high within the rank 72. Providing aleaderboard 70 to the first user indicating that the first user has arelatively high rank 72 within the selected group of users incentivizesthe first user to continue playing to achieve the objective, improvinguser retention and monetization.

It would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that theleaderboards may not be limited to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3.The leaderboard 70 may be associated with an objective, an activity, anaction, or a combination thereof.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary diagram of a user interface 80 whichprovides in-game pricing relative to player statistics in an onlinegame, according to an aspect of the invention. As shown, user interface80 enables a user to purchase virtual items and/or store for in-gameuse. In some implementations, the user may select the my items tab 82,and select from a category 84 of virtual in-game goods which are storedin the user's inventory. In some implementations, the categories mayinclude one or more: miscellaneous, speed up, combat, resources, chest,and/or any other category. Each category contains lists of items 84 fora user to store and/or purchase. The user interface 80 displays the item86 and the quantity of each item 88 as well as a mechanism to use theitems 88 to the user. It would be understood by one of ordinary skill inthe art that the leaderboards may not be limited to the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 4. The user interface 80 may be associated with anobjective, an activity, an action, or a combination thereof.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary diagram providing dynamic and staticcontest prize allocation based on in-game achievement of a user in anonline game, according to an aspect of the invention. In someimplementations, the user may select the my items tab, and select from acategory 92 of virtual in-game goods 94 to purchase 96. It would beunderstood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the leaderboards maynot be limited to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5. The userinterface 90 may be associated with an objective, an activity, anaction, or a combination thereof.

Although the present technology has been described in detail for thepurpose of illustration based on what is currently considered to be themost practical and preferred implementations, it is to be understoodthat such detail is solely for that purpose and that the technology isnot limited to the disclosed implementations, but, on the contrary, isintended to cover modifications and equivalent arrangements that arewithin the spirit and scope of the appended claims. For example, it isto be understood that the present technology contemplates that, to theextent possible, one or more features of any implementation can becombined with one or more features of any other implementation.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for facilitating an interface-basedtournament generation for tournaments within online games, whereinindividual tournaments include one or more time-limited events, thesystem comprising: one or more processors configured by machine-readableinstructions to: execute an instance of an online game, wherein usersparticipate in the online game through one or more client computingplatforms associated with the users; facilitate interaction of the userswith the online game and/or each other by performing operations in theonline game in response to commands received from the client computingplatforms associated with the users; receive, through an administratoruser interface associated with an administrator, event criteria by whichachievements of the users are to be determined as part of a limited-timeevent; obtain, by an objective criteria module, the event criteria bywhich the achievements of the users are to be determined as part of thelimited-time event, wherein the limited-time event spans an event timeperiod; determine, by an award determination module, awards to bedistributed to the users, the awards including a first award to bedistributed to a first user, the first award having a first componentand a second component, wherein the first component of the first awardis determined during the event time period based on relative performanceof the first user during the event time period with respect to otherusers, and wherein the second component of the first award is determinedbased on a metric indicating performance of the first user during theevent time period with respect to the event criteria; and distribute, byan award distribution module, the awards as determined.
 2. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured bymachine-readable instructions such that the event criteria aredetermined based on one or more of a resource unit amassed, troop unitamassed, wealth, and/or score.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the oneor more processors are configured by machine-readable instructions suchthat the first component includes virtual items for use in the onlinegame.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors areconfigured by machine-readable instructions such that the secondcomponent includes troops for use in the online game.
 5. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured bymachine-readable instructions such that the second component is providedwhen the first user achieves above a minimum level of absolute progress.6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors areconfigured by machine-readable instructions such that the secondcomponent varies based on user results above a minimum level of absoluteprogress.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processorsare configured by machine-readable instructions to effectuatepresentation to the first user of a motivation message, wherein themotivation message comprises an indication of a present relativeperformance of the first user with respect to the other users.
 8. Thesystem of claim 7, wherein the one or more processors are furtherconfigured by machine-readable instructions to effectuate presentationto the first user of one or more incentives for achieving a relativelyhigh performance with respect to the other users.
 9. The system of claim1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured bymachine-readable instructions to effectuate presentation to the firstuser of one or more incentives for achieving an objective with respectto the event criteria defined by the administrator.
 10. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the event criteria by which the achievements of theusers are to be determined as part of the limited-time event requirecompletion one or more of a task, a quest, a challenge, a mission,and/or an activity within the online game, and wherein determination ofone or both of the first component and the second component is based onthe completion occurring during the event time period.
 11. A method forfacilitating an interface-based tournament generation for tournamentswithin online games, wherein individual tournaments include one or moretime-limited events, the method being implemented on a computer systemthat includes one or more physical processors, the method comprising:executing an instance of an online game, wherein users participate inthe online game through one or more client computing platformsassociated with the users; facilitating interaction of the users withthe online game and/or each other by performing operations in the onlinegame in response to commands received from the client computingplatforms associated with the users; receiving, through an administratoruser interface associated with an administrator, event criteria by whichachievements of the users are to be determined as part of a limited-timeevent; obtaining, by an objective criteria module, the event criteria bywhich the achievements of the users are to be determined as part of thelimited-time event, wherein the limited-time event spans an event timeperiod; determining, by an award determination module, awards to bedistributed to the users, the awards including a first award to bedistributed to a first user, the first award having a first componentand a second component, wherein the first component of the first awardis determined during the event time period based on relative performanceof the first user during the event time period with respect to otherusers, and wherein the second component of the first award is determinedbased on a metric indicating performance of the first user during theevent time period with respect to the event criteria; and distributing,by an award distribution module, the awards as determined.
 12. Themethod of claim 11, wherein the event criteria are determined based onone or more of a resource unit amassed, troop unit amassed, wealth,and/or score.
 13. The method of claim 11, wherein the first componentincludes virtual items for use in the online game.
 14. The method ofclaim 11, wherein the second component includes troops for use in theonline game.
 15. The method of claim 11, wherein the second component isprovided when the first user achieves above a minimum level of absoluteprogress.
 16. The method of claim 11, wherein the second componentvaries based on user results above a minimum level of absolute progress.17. The method of claim 11, further comprising effectuating presentationto the first user of a motivation message, wherein the motivationmessage comprises an indication of a present relative performance of thefirst user with respect to the other users.
 18. The method of claim 17,further comprising effectuating presentation to the first user of one ormore incentives for achieving a relatively high performance with respectto the other users.
 19. The method of claim 11, further comprisingeffectuating presentation to the first user of one or more incentivesfor achieving an objective with respect to the event criteria defined bythe administrator.
 20. The method of claim 11, wherein the eventcriteria by which the achievements of the users are to be determined aspart of the limited-time event require completion one or more of a task,a quest, a challenge, a mission, and/or an activity within the onlinegame, and wherein determination of one or both of the first componentand the second component is based on the completion occurring during theevent time period.